A STYLE GUIDE FOR BUSY LIVES

07 Jul A STYLE GUIDE FOR BUSY LIVES

1. You employ a personal hairstylist that arrives every morning to deliver a perfect blowout.
2. You possess both the time and the money to head to the salon every few days for your styling fix.
3. You wake up ahead of your alarm every morning, with extra time to wash and style your hair exactly to your liking.

Alas. Welcome to reality, where time flies and schedules are full to bursting. (You’re busy, important, and building an empire, okay?) So that leaves us reaching for our Level 4 dream: can’t we just style our hair and keep it looking good for a few days, without hours of maintenance?

Yes. Yes, you can. And we are here to help.

This one goes out to the busy people—those of you who don’t necessarily have boatloads of time to commit to your hair every day, but want to look and feel your best regardless.

CONSIDER YOUR CUT
First things first: get a haircut that complements your lifestyle and your needs. Take advantage of your pre-service consultation to get real with your stylist about how often you wash, how much time you have to style, and whether you’d like to be able to air dry every now and then. This can make the difference between a cut that works for you and one that works against you.

STEP UP YOUR SLEEP HABITSApparently, some people have been truly blessed with the ability to go to sleep with perfectly coiffed hair and wake up with it looking just the way they left it. We have yet to meet them. On the contrary, most of us head to the vanity each morning with bated breath, hoping the hair situation hasn’t approached full bird’s nest.

To prevent style-crushing bedhead, we recommend investing in a silk pillowcase (twist your arm, we know) and sleeping with your hair secured in a scrunchie. Carrie Bradshaw was correct in her assertion that they have no place in the public domain, but they do do a fabulous job securing your hair overnight without leaving creases. We’ll take it!

LIMIT YOUR STYLING PRODUCTS
While it’s certainly tempting to layer on the smoothing serums pre-blowout and finish in a cloud of hairspray, product overload will cause your style to become prematurely lank and weighed down. Instead, stick to 1-2 choice products—and make sure one is a heat protectant.

Our absolute favorite these days is L’Incroyable Blowdry from Kérastase. In addition to thermo-protection and 96 hours of frizz control, it features an innovative, repositionable microwax technology that grants you days of easy styling. Especially in a city as humid as Houston, this product is your greatest ally.

“It’s perfect for our climate because it has smoothing properties with hold,” confirms Alan Conover, Hue owner and master stylist. “It’s also great for re-styling—so you can do your hair straight one day and curly the next without re-applying the product.”

USE DRY SHAMPOO DISCERNINGLY
Dry shampoo is a godsend—it’s completely changed the blowout-extending game. But reach for it too soon, and you lose both shininess and that run-your-fingers-through-it silky texture. Instead, you can revamp your style in the interim by spritzing a paddle brush with light hold hairspray (we love Aveda Air Control and Kérastase Laque Dentelle), then flipping your head upside down and brushing through your hair.

Eventually, though, flat roots become oily roots—and that’s when dry shampoo arrives to save the day. Recently, we’ve been hooked on the new Aveda Shampure Dry Shampoo, which really shines due to its non-aerosol formulation and highly-blendable, brunette-friendly powder. We like to use it on the third day post-blowout or to refresh after a workout. Pro tip: if the ends of your hair feel dry after application, apply a few drops Aveda Dry Remedy Daily Moisturizing Oil to smooth things over.

AND FOR THE CURLY GIRLS…
If you’re blessed with curly hair, you’re playing by different rules. But fret not—there are plenty of style-prolonging options out there for you, too.

“For curly hair, use either the Aveda Be Curly line or Kérastase Discipline Oléo-Curl Cream with Kérastase Discipline Mousse Curl Idéal to maintain the shape of your curls and de-frizz,” advises Cion Ortega, owner and master stylist at Hue. These products help your curls maintain their desired shape while fighting frizz and infusing much-needed moisture.

And since bedhead is Enemy #1 of perfect spirals, we recommend taking a second look at the overnight rules we outlined above—with one important substitution. Pineappling, in which you pile your curls on top of your head near your hairline, has been all the rage of late, and for good reason. Give it a try for #wokeuplikethis hair that’s actually selfie-worthy. (It exists.)

Get started with a blowout at Hue (go online or call 832.331.1119 to book) and a chat with your stylist about which products will work best with your hair type and style. And then, get back to your life—stress-free, and looking fabulous.